This is an excerpt from the print edition of Dirty Linen magazine #102 (October / November 2002). The magazine is available on newsstands and by subscription.

Unpacking the Panoply: A Compilation of Compilations
by Colleen Moore

The mailbag sags with visual proof that the compilation business is high-volume. It's a world travelogue, in groups of twos and threes, with far too little time to linger. So, from bluegrass to bellydance, and everything imaginable in between, here's a quick tour of this issue's offerings.

The Rough Guide series wins the imaginative stretch award for grouping three CDs under the moniker of "mountain music," the mountains being the Appalachians, the Alps, and the Himalayans. The Rough Guide to the Music of the Appalachians [Rough Guide RGNET 1104 CD (2002)] is loaded with exceptional talent, including Claire Lynch, Rhonda Vincent, the Laurel Canyon Ramblers, Peter Rowan, Del McCoury, the Cox Family, Ginny Hawker, Ralph Stanley and the Clinch Mountain Boys, Dock Boggs, and nearly a dozen other top artists. Check out Jeremy Stephens, a 16-year-old banjo virtuoso and first-place winner at MerleFest. Karl Shiflet & Big Country Show play heartstrings by way of mandolin on "The Trail of the Ancients." Rough Guide includes its usual booklet of more than adequate information, here highlighting the artists rather than the songs. This is a five-star recording.

It must be the altitude. The Rough Guide to the Music of the Alps [Rough Guide RGNET 1103 CD (2002)] is a bizarre, but likable treasure chest of old and new musical styles and instruments that leaves one sometimes rolling with laughter, sometimes awed. Listen to the punk polka sounds of Attwenger, or Corou De Berra's kazoo orchestra, or the scythe rhythm section of Klaus Trabitsch. Then there's Arco Alpino's "Violins Traditionnels Des Alpes," which sounds like a folk string quartet, and Bratko Bibic, who makes the humble accordion sound like a church organ. "Alpine Experience" elevates the usually solo alphorn to section status and adds jazz yodeling on par with Ella Fitzgerald scat. Otto Lechner re-invents "Stille Nacht, Heilige Nacht" ("Silent Night, Holy Night") as an Austrian folk waltz on accordion. Many pieces have a more traditional, almost classical feel. The music encompasses all of the Alpine countries, lending a variety of ethnic stylings and languages. If you think you've heard it all, this is the one to try.

The Rough Guide to the Music of the Himalayas [Rough Guide RGNET 1105 CD (2002)] provides selections of music from Tibet, Nepal, Ladakh, and northern India, performed by Tibetan monks, Buddhist nuns, a modern brass band, a traditional flautist and percussion band, and a variety of East/West, ancient/modern collaborators. "Dar Tson Nanga," the well-known folk tune performed by Petso of Tibet, is a series of variations on a simple flute (the lingbu, a transverse flute) melody. In a similar vein, the monastic chanting music of nuns and monks, which initially sounds like a monotone drone, gradually assumes harmony, tempo changes, and even exuberance. This subtle shift occurs almost beyond the awareness of the listener. Tibetan monks also collaborated with Western musicians on "Fire Channels.Me," a meditative, electronic feast that we used to call psychedelic. The highlight of the CD is "Pahadi" from Call of the Valley, a collaboration of three musicians from Kashmir. The song captures the tranquility of a moonlit evening, perfect for a twilight walk in the woods.

There are 20 more recordings discussed in this column from Dirty Linen #102 (Oct./Nov. '02). Read the full text in the magazine, available via subscription or on newsstands and in bookstores.